Digital Commons Network^™

Metanalysis Of Genome Editing Using Crispr/Cas9 Technology Towards Hiv-1 Treatment, Nitya Alaparthy

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Genome editing, also called gene editing is a new branch of research that aims to explore means to modify genes of living organisms. Genome editing appears to have a promising future for researchers as it will further help to understand the gene function and develop ways to treat genetic or acquired diseases. Moreover, gene editing such as CRISPR/Cas9 technology can aid in manipulating the genome sequence, thereby, advancing treatments that will improve patients’ life span and quality of life. CRISPR/Cas9 technology supports three main mechanisms for genome editing, including plasmids-based methods, the direct intracellular distribution of the Cas9 mRNA, and …

Physiological Mechanisms Of Pregnancy: How The Kidneys And The Renin-Angiotensin System Protect The Fetus, Raghavi Vuppala, Crystal West

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Physiological changes concurrent with pregnancy include plasma volume expansion with increased sodium retention to enable normal development of the fetus. Expansion of plasma volume and sodium reabsorption are adaptive mechanisms that occur in response to the altered physiological state of pregnancy. These adaptations are mediated by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and its primary hormone, angiotensin (Ang) II, acting on the kidney. The role of Ang II in the kidney also involves stimulation of aldosterone release from the adrenal gland, which promotes sodium retention by the kidney. Ang II activates its two main receptors in the kidneys: AT1 and AT2. The …

Social Vulnerability And Adult Obesity In The State Of Florida, Shreeya Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Introduction: Socioeconomic and racial disparities are prevalent regarding obesity rates, where race, income, and education are predictors of obesity. Social vulnerability, or a community's ability to respond to stressors on health, may be one explanation for these disparities. The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between social vulnerability and obesity among Florida counties. Methods: We conducted an ecological cross-sectional study among 67 Florida counties. To measure county-level social vulnerability, we utilized the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which is composed of four themes. County-level adult obesity prevalence in 2017 was obtained from the UWPHI’s County Health Rankings. …

Structural Identification Of Secondary Metabolites From Bacteria, Vijay Patel, Mark Sourial, Alana Bertrand

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Chronic misuse and abuse of antibiotics over the last century has led to an end of the golden age of antibiotics. However, we could turn to bacteria to find a solution to the current antibiotic resistance crisis. Bacteria are engaged in an endless arms race against each other, and humans can use the compounds bacteria produce as antibiotics. Our team isolated bacteria from local soil samples and aimed to identify and characterize these microbes. The two bacterial strains we were able to identify were Pseudomonas fulva and Plesiomonas shigelloides. P. fulva is an aerobic proteobacterium which produces secondary metabolites …

The Effects Of Herbal Products In Cartilage Healing And Reducing The Progression Of Osteoarthritis, Mariya Baig

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) is primarily aimed at symptom management and is generally limited with emphasis placed on therapy and drugs such as NSAIDs, opioids, and acetaminophen. However, these drugs pose health risks for long-term use including contraindications, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular issues. Thus, this systematic review of literature was conducted to evaluate the impact of the herbal products, turmeric and ginger, on reducing the progression of OA when utilized on both a short-term and long-term basis. After evaluating the content of several scholarly journals, it was found that turmeric and ginger can aid in symptom management of OA and promote …

The Universal Mass Function And Its Applicability To Organic Molecules, Gabrielle Biltgen-Morrissette

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The ability to predict the yield when synthesizing an organic molecule is a challenging issue in organic chemistry and a major obstacle when planning a multi-step organic synthesis. To choose the most time, money, and waste efficient way it will be beneficial to be able to predict the yield of the product. The Universal Mass Function (UMF) states that cosmic objects on all scales are in direct relation to each other. It shows that massive objects are much rarer than objects with lower masses. The following research aims to examine if the UMF theory is applicable to the field of …

Touch Sensitivity In College-Aged Adults, Hannah Laufenberg, Isabel De Angelis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The present study aims to identify what factors influence pain perception. Previous studies have focused on the differences in pain tolerance between genders, but this difference could be due to differences in physiology. The COMT rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been implicated in stress and pain perception (Serrano et al., 2019, Hill et al., 2018). G/G/ allele carriers perform better under stressful conditions and perceive less pain relative to the A/- allele carriers. Here we examined how gender, body size, and genetic makeup influences pain intensity, pain threshold, and pain tolerance. Participants will be asked to passively drool into …

Understanding The Tradeoff Between Atp Metabolism And Growth In E. Coli, Naziba Nuha, Julia Gumirov, Ariane Kalifa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The inoculum effect (IE) is a phenomenon in which the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic increases with the density of a bacterial population. IE has been observed for nearly all antibiotics, and has been shown to decrease antibiotic efficacy, prolong the recovery period and increase mortality rates. Despite its ubiquity in the clinic, a mechanism to explain IE for bacteria that expresses antibiotic resistant elements, such as β-lactamases, has yet to be identified. Interesting enough, recent work has shown that interactions between growth rate and metabolism, as determined through ATP production, affect IE for bacteria that lack a …

Who Stressed The Dogs Out: A Case For Studying Mitochondrial Dna As A Novel Biomarker For Stress In Canines, Aidan Kunju, Ariana Ali, Ritika Kothur, Olivia Singleton

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Canines transiting through animal shelters experience extreme stress that is subsequently ameliorated by adoption into loving (human) homes. These transitions provide exceptional opportunities to study links between social stress and physiological processes, and to develop biomarkers for stress and social bonding with applications in both animal welfare and human health. Here, we propose a novel approach to the study of shelter-related stress in dogs, and of stress reversals following adoption. Specifically, we will quantify mtDNA dynamics in buccal swabs sampled during shelter intakes of canines at the Broward County animal shelter, as well as samples collected after these animals’ adoptions …

Skill Football Players Outperform And "Outforce" Big-Skill And Big Players In The Vertical Jump, Jeffrey Marin, Erica Vazquez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Vertical jump (VJ) performance is critical for football players. Position demands vary and may influence VJ loading (eccentric) and propulsion (concentric) forces. Examining forces in addition to jump height (JH) informs training programs. We aimed to determine differences in VJ performance [reactive strength (RSImod, m/s); JH (cm)] and peack concentric (CON-PF) and eccentric (ECC-PF) forces between position groups. Sixty football players (age, 22.6±1.1yrs; ht, 186.4±6.8cm; mass, 103.6±21.2kg) representing three position groups, Skill, Big-Skill, and Big, performed VJ on dual uniaxial force plates. ForceDecks software allowed for calculation of the dependent variables. ECC-PF and CON-PF were normalized to body mass (N/kg). …

Survival And Development Of Zebra Longwing, Heliconius Charithonia, On Native And Non-Native Passion Vines, Passiflora Sp., In South Florida, Cassidy Loucks, Celina Nelson-Jordan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Zebra longwing butterflies (Heliconius charithonia) are distributed throughout Central and South America, and the southernmost regions of the United States, including Florida. These heliconian butterflies not only consume nectar, but are also known to feed on pollen, resulting in a longer lifespan than most butterflies. In their larval stage, H. charithonia feed exclusively on Passiflora spp, however preferred host species for H. charithonia eggs and overall larval performance across Passion vine species is not well documented. We examined these criteria of zebra longwings from egg to adulthood on two native passion vines to Florida, corky stem (Passiflora …

An Episodic Study Of Hospital Charges For Hospital Admissions And Readmissions In 2017 In The United States For Degenerative Nerve Systems Disorders (Drg = 056), Esha Sultana

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Understanding hospital charges upon admission as well as readmissions is critical for value-based care. The extant literature focuses on patient-specific, disease-specific, and hospital-specific factors to explain the variance in hospital charges across the United States. Studies have mainly examined hospital charges upon admissions but there has been lack of empirical research on examining hospital charges upon readmissions. This has resulted in ambiguity in understanding the primary determinants of hospital charges upon readmissions. To address this gap, the federal agency AHRQ developed the HCUP hospital readmissions database that produces nationally representative information about hospital readmissions. This study utilizes the AHRQ 2017 …

Bioremediation Of Algae-Based Water Treatment: Analysis Of Algae Adsorption Of Heavy Metals Based On Ion Size And Covalent Indices, Samir Sakaria, Rebecca Mathew, Amelia Figueroa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A previous published study completed at Nova Southeastern University determined that Neochloris alveolaris and Neochloris minuta algal strains which were grown in nitrogen-rich (+N) and nitrogen-depleted (-N) environments biosorbed Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ni²⁺ at varying concentrations. These algae biosorbed each metal differently based on their biomass composition (carbohydrates, fats, and lipids) and the type of hard or soft metal acids available, according to the Pearson theory of Hard Soft Acid Base (HSAB) definition. Given these promising findings, this study aimed to further analyze and determine the effect of hard …

Effect Of β-Lactamase Expression And Varying Metabolism On The Inoculum Effect, Kielan Singh, Vijay Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Infections with antibiotic resistant bacteria pose a substantial challenge to the field of medicine. Accordingly, it is of the utmost importance that we understand the mechanisms by which bacteria resist antibiotics towards the development of novel drugs and treatment paradigms. One mechanism by which a population of bacteria can resist an antibiotic is the inoculum effect (IE). During IE, the initial density of the population determines the efficacy of the antibiotic; highly dense populations of bacteria require more antibiotics to kill the population as compared to less dense populations. One mechanism that has been proposed to explain IE is the …

Examining The Impact Of Mind Wandering On Task Performance: Does Task Difficulty Matter?, Kortne Bajor, Jozef Cruz, Amulya Chowd Koritala, Gargee Pandya

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mind wandering is a phenomenon in which an individual’s thoughts drift from the current task to a task unrelated thought (TUT). It is known to be affected by various factors such as state of mind, neuroticism, and boredom which may differ for each individual. Task difficulty appears to impact mind wandering rates, such that mind wandering increases on tasks with lower difficulty (Seli et al., 2018). However, prior work has not examined how emotionally valenced mind wandering impact task performance at different levels of task difficulty. Mind wandering typically predicts poorer ongoing task performance (McVay & Kane, 2010) and negatively …

Exploring The Prevalence Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Cts) Symptoms In College Students, Kyrah Maduro

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) causes functional impairments and is prevalent in occupations involving repetitive hand movements. Given the extensive use of electronic devices for coursework, college students may be at risk for CTS. The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the symptomology of CTS in college students, and to determine treatment strategies used by occupational therapists (OT) who treat college students with CTS. We developed and administered a 17-question College Student CTS Experiences Survey for students. Participants were recruited via flyers posted on a university campus. Inclusion criteria for responding included being a college student experiencing pain, tingling, …

Measuring The Effect Of Methionine Deprivation In Genome Methylation Of Ccp Genes Within The Prolaris Molecular Score Along Prostate Cancer Cell Lines, Yatin Srinivash Ramesh Babu, Trevor Fuhriman Oms 2, Andy Aleman Espino Oms 2

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Impairment of physiological metabolism is the trademark of various cancers and cancer cells as a component of their mechanism which ultimately bolsters survival. While normal cells are highly regulated and follow a sophisticated mechanism of cellular metabolism to achieve their goals of survival, cancer cells take the dysregulated path for survival, ultimately robbing the overall vital energies of the entire organism. Unfortunately, only a limited number of uniform ways exist that permit for a complete cure of various presentations of cancers. The PC3 cell line has been reported to be dependent upon exogenous pools of methionine, whereas the DU-145 cell …

Molecular Biomarkers Of Ptsd: A Case For Measuring Psychotherapy Efficacy And Mtdna Cn Involvement, Ariana Ali, Aidan Kunju

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in individuals who witness or experience a traumatic event. Many PTSD treatments have a focus on direct alterations of emotion and thought responses due to trauma. Some of the leading psychotherapy treatments for ptsd include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). Eye Movement Desensitization and Realization (EMDR) Therapy has greater focus on altering memory storage in the brain. EMDR differs from other psychotherapies in that the reprocessing of trauma engages both hemispheres of the brain via bilateral stimulation. EMDR along with other psychotherapies …

Investigating The Specific Phosphorylation Sites Of The Human Mineralocorticoid Receptor Using Phospho-Mapping, Valentina Guidi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this project is to confirm the specific sites where G protein receptor kinase 5 (GRK-5)- mediated phosphorylation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) of aldosterone occurs. The significance of the study stems from prior findings indicating that e-cigarette vapors induce lung inflammation and tissue destruction. While research has typically focused on the effects of tobacco use, the detrimental influence of e-cigarette vapors, which accumulate in the airway epithelium, must also be identified. This may include desensitization of the beta2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR), a protective receptor against airway inflammation and fibrosis and the only AR subtype expressed in human bronchial …

Re-Discovery Of Microatolls In The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Amber Orr

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Microatolls are coral colonies with a signature ring-like shape. They form in shallow water where depth limits vertical growth, allowing them to be utilized as indicators of current and past sea level. Additional contributors to their formation include accumulation of sediment on the colonies which smothers corallites in the center of the structure, overgrowth by algae, and upper surface abrasion by bioeroding organisms. Microatolls occur at numerous locations in the Indo-West Pacific, however, they are reported at only two known locations in the tropical eastern Pacific: Caño Island, Costa Rica and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. More than 50 Porites lobata …

Skill Position Football Players Have Greater Vertical Jump Kinetic Asymmetry But Better Performance Than Big Skill And Big Position Players, Ashley Mcdonough, Ayoub Ziani

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The vertical jump (VJ) assesses lower limb power and is tested in players entering the National Football League’s (NFL) draft. Limb asymmetry of ≥10% has been linked to injury and poor performance. Assessing VJ performance and kinetic asymmetry by player position may guide group-based training programs. We sought to determine if VJ performance and kinetic asymmetries were different between football position groups, Skill Players (SP), Big Skill Players (BS), and Big Players (BP). Sixty participants (age, 22.7 1.1yrs;± ht, 186.4±6.8cm; mass, 103.6±21.2kg) training for the NFL draft performed VJ on dual uniaxial force plates. Performance variables of reactive strength (RSI-mod) …

Raising Awareness About Recognizing Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associated With Down Syndrome: Developing A Health Education Program, Mahima Dave

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Down syndrome (DS) is the most prevalent chromosomal disorder in which an extra copy of chromosome-21 disrupts the development of intellectual abilities. Unique physical manifestations places children with DS at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in which repeated blockages of the upper airway cause difficulty breathing during sleep. 80% of children with DS are afflicted with OSA compared to only 2-5% of the general pediatric population. OSA increases incidences of nocturnal sudden cardiac arrest by 2.57-fold compared to the general population. Common signs of OSA include snoring, restlessness during sleep, night waking, and daytime tiredness. Manifestations of OSA, …

The Halls Of Power, Janay Joseph, Graciel Quezada, Bianca Vucetich

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“The Halls of Power” is a documentary short film about the life and work of Elijah Manley, a young politician and activist in South Florida. The main story focuses on Elijah Manley’s life and political activism as the youngest person to ever run for the Florida State Legislature. The second storyline will follow other young activists and organizers within the community. The goal of the documentary is to inform the audience about this activist and demonstrate how one can get involved in politics. We hope to encourage the young demographic to be more engaged with their local politics. Because politics …

Understanding The Origin Of Mutations Using Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics, Supratik Pasupuleti, Anthony Bianco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Proton transfer within DNA base pairs is a possible origin for mutations which can ultimately lead to cancer. To better understand this potential source of mutations we have modeled this process using Ab Initio molecular dynamics simulations of model systems for DNA base pairs in water. These simulations have provided insight into how often and when proton transfer occurs in these systems while also highlighting the relationship between the likelihood of a proton transfer event and the way the water molecules are coordinated around the model system for DNA. This in turn has allowed for a greater understanding of potential …

Caribbean Reef-Building Coral-Symbiodiniaceae Network: Identifying Symbioses Critical For System Stability In A Changing Climate, Mackenzie Magyar, Brady Estrada, Timothy Swain Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Coral reef bleaching events across the globe are increasing following intensifying marine heatwaves and higher ocean temperatures. The frequency and intensity of bleaching events are expected to rise over the next 100 years. An increase in coral mortality has been observed in the Caribbean between 1970-2012. Our objective is to produce a network of all Caribbean hermatypic coral-Symbiodiniaceae associations and analyze it in the context of increased temperatures and coral bleaching events. The available scientific literature was explored and inspected to evaluate whether these papers included relevant data for building the network, including the coral host, host depth, sample location, …

Endoparasite Community Of Common Wood-Warblers (Family Parulidae) In Southeast Florida, Skylar Olsen

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Wood-warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds in the family Parulidae. They are among the first migratory birds in North America to begin their southward migration during the early autumn months and southeast Florida serves as a wintering ground. Although wood-warblers are common and widespread, knowledge of their endoparasite community composition is severely underrepresented in current literature. Carcasses were opportunistically collected from wildlife rescue centers in southeast Florida. The digestive tract of 90 birds representing 5 common wood-warbler species were examined for endoparasites: Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas), Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), Black-and--White Warblers (Mniotilta varia), Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum), and American Redstarts …

Effects Of Exercise On Fear Behavior In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Tyler Kuni

Student Scholar Showcase

The experiment shows the response of zebrafish when they are exposed to environments stimulating fear and how exercise will affect the behaviors of the fish in those environments. It is predicted that the behavior of fish receiving exercise before fear conditioning will show less behaviors associated with fear and anxiety. The subjects were exercised in a large water pump apparatus that creates a current for the fish to swim against, and then they were used in a classical fear conditioning protocol. Zebrafish behavior is recorded before and after fear conditioning is conducted. The speed of the subject’s swimming along with …

Novel Platforms For Large-Scale Adherent Culture Of Mammalian Cells, Ashkan Yekrangsafakar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With recent advances in biotechnology, there is a strong and urgent need for robust platforms to culture mammalian cells on a large scale to produce biopharmaceuticals. To this end, various bioreactors have been developed over the past decades, but their capacity and efficiency are often limited by insufficient mass transfer rate and excessive shear stress. In this work, multiple novel bioreactors for the large-scale adherent culture of anchorage-dependent cells were developed.

Hollow MicroCarriers (HMC) was developed as an alternative solution for the microcarrier-based culture system in a stirred-tank bioreactor. In the conventional microcarrier technique, cells are exposed to the harmful …

Biomechanical Comparisons Of Metacarpophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis Techniques In The Horse, Lawrence Ivan M. Kadic

LSU Master's Theses

INTRODUCTION - Break down injuries resulting in the disruption of the suspensory apparatus, or the development of moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and/or metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint, are well documented reasons to perform a surgical arthrodesis in horses. The objective of this thesis was to compare the biomechanical characteristics of different arthrodesis techniques for the equine MCP joint.

MATERIALS AND METHODS - The first cadaveric study evaluated the biomechanical properties of two constructs with 5.5 mm broad 10-hole LCP alone or in combination with a 2.0 mm stainless-steel cable under cyclic fatigue testing and single cycle to failure …

The Adoption Of Conservation Practices And Program Participation Among Socially Disadvantaged Agricultural Producers: A Meta-Analysis, Myles A. Brown

LSU Master's Theses

As climate change has become undeniable in recent years, it has become increasingly important for the agriculture industry to address conservation. Within the agriculture industry, small farmers are usually the ones who take on this burden on a daily basis. However, some socially disadvantaged agricultural producers face unique challenges compared to the average farmer, which may impede their ability to adopt the necessary conservation practices or participate in conservation programs. This review sought to provide a definitive economic analysis on the possible effect of race on conservation adoption and program participation, as there is not much research on this topic. …